I haven't put the Baton Pass set anywhere in the skeleton because it won't be updated.
Credits for the writing of the trapper and Scarf sets goes to AccidentalGreed!
Scizor
[Overview]
<p>Scizor is a Pokemon that almost has it all, and it's hence no wonder that it's one of the best Pokemon in OU. Thanks to its excellent Attack stat and Technician ability, Scizor is the strongest priority user in OU and can pick off many menacing offensive threats such as Kyurem-B, Dragonite, Terrakion, and Salamence. Scizor also gets STAB U-turn, to hit everything that doesn't resist it hard while keeping momentum in its team's favor. Furthermore, Scizor has good coverage moves such as Superpower and Acrobatics, allowing it to hit Pokemon that resist its STABs for at least neutral damage and making the task of countering it much more difficult. Pursuit allows Scizor to take out many of the Psychic-types that it scares away, such as Latios, Latias, and Gengar, shielding many teams that have problems with those threats. Swords Dance only adds to its offensive potential, transforming it from a revenge killer and heavy-hitter to a deadly late-game sweeper that can KO many offensive Pokemon with just a +2 Bullet Punch. To top it off, Scizor has an excellent defensive typing that leaves it with only one weakness and multiple useful resistances, has instant recovery in Roost, and can invest in HP to become very bulky thanks to Bullet Punch mitigating its Speed issues. All these traits combine to make it not only an offensive asset, but also a defensive one.</p>
<p>Scizor does have its downsides though. While it might only have one weakness, it is a very exploitable quadruple weakness to Fire. This means that even uninvested Hidden Power Fire from Pokemon with good Special Attack, such as Latias and Celebi will OHKO, or at least come close. Scizor's priority, while strong, has a bad offensive typing as it is resisted by the omnipresent Water-types and therefore by a big portion of rain teams. Further consider that Scizor is neutral to Water moves—which are boosted in rain—and has mediocre special bulk, and it's no wonder that Scizor gets OHKOed by many offensive Water-types, such as Starmie, Keldeo, and Choice Specs Politoed. Keldeo itself, another top-tier threat in OU, gives Scizor a very hard time as it resists Scizor's most-used moves, Bullet Punch and U-turn, and can obliterate it with powerful Water attacks. Finally, Scizor's choiced sets are easy to wall with physically bulky Pokemon such as Skarmory, Forretress, Jellicent, and Landorus-T, and it often gives those Pokemon chances to harass Scizor's team with entry hazards or status.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Pursuit / Quick Attack
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This has been Scizor's flagship set since the Platinum era for good reason. Scizor is one of the few Pokemon that can actually do serious damage with U-turn, which is why it is used not only as a scouting tool but as a strong spammable attack that does a lot of damage to anything that doesn't resist it, and even to some that do. U-turn also combines nicely with Scizor's great typing and bulk to make it a very useful pivot, which uses its low Speed to bring in teammates safely against faster opponents or forced switches. Bullet Punch is Scizor's revenge killing weapon; by shaving off a huge amount of health from all offensive Pokemon that don't resist it, it makes Scizor a great check to Pokemon such as Latios and Terrakion. Superpower hits Steel-types that resist Scizor's STAB moves for at least neutral damage and OHKOes some of them, namely Magnezone and Heatran. Superpower is also Scizor's best option against Keldeo, dealing ~79% damage. Pursuit prevents Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Latios, Latias, Gengar, and Celebi (that lack Baton Pass) from switching out, often putting them in a checkmate position, as Scizor is a good switch-in to all of those Pokemon. If Pursuit's trapping abilities are not needed, Quick Attack is a fine alternative that helps Scizor revenge kill offensive Pokemon that resist Bullet Punch, such as Gyarados, Keldeo, Thundurus-T, and Volcarona. To illustrate its power, Quick Attack KOes offensive Volcarona after Stealth Rock 87.5% of the time.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Scizor's HP EVs minimize Stealth Rock damage and the 8 leftover EVs go to Special Defense because Scizor switches into special attacks more often than it does physical ones. Bug Bite can be used in the last slot for a strong Bug STAB move that doesn't force it out, making dealing with Pokemon such as Reuniclus and SubCM Jirachi much easier, but its use ends there. Night Slash is useful to catch Jellicent on the switch, 2HKOing even the most physically bulky sets, but Jellicent usually invests enough Speed EVs to outrun uninvested Scizor sets, so Scizor would have to sacrifice a lot of bulk to make sure it will outspeed Jellicent. If Scizor's team lacks a solid switch-in to Choice Specs Latios, an EV spread of 248 HP / 92 Atk / 168 SpD with an Adamant nature can be used, allowing Scizor to always avoid the 2HKO from Draco Meteor even with Stealth Rock in play and eliminate Latios with Pursuit. This spread also makes Scizor a much safer switch-in to Alakazam, Latias, and Gengar, especially if used in rain, where these Pokemon cannot OHKO Scizor with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Scizor greatly appreciates Rapid Spin support, as U-turn is the move it will be using most of the time. Offensive Analytic Starmie pairs well with Scizor, as not only it is able to beat both OU spinblockers, Jellicent and Gengar, it can also beat most Pokemon that give Scizor trouble, such as Skarmory, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Gliscor, Jellicent, Keldeo, Gyarados, and Tentacruel. Scizor returns the favor by doing huge amounts of damage to Blissey, Chansey, Celebi, and Ferrothorn, paving the way for Starmie to clean up. They also share wonderful defensive synergy, with Starmie resisting Scizor's lone weakness and Scizor resisting three of Starmie's weaknesses: Grass, Dark, and Ghost. Tentacruel is another Rapid Spinner that has very good synergy with Scizor on rain teams. Similarly to Starmie, Tentacruel can beat all the Ghost-types in OU with a SubToxic set, ensuring the removal of hazards. It also checks many of the Pokemon that stand in the way of Scizor, such as Keldeo, Heatran, and Skarmory.<p>
<p>As one of the best U-turn users in OU, Scizor also finds itself a home in VoltTurn chains. A teammate to take on Water and Fire attacks is also a necessity, as Scizor struggles against Water-types, Drizzle-boosted Water attacks, and any Fire attack in general. For these reasons, partners such as Rotom-W, Thundurus-T, and Celebi are very beneficial for Scizor. They are able to beat not only bulky Water- and Ground-types that annoy Scizor, but Skarmory too, and also have U-turn or Volt Switch to continue the chain. Rotom-W is the best of these, as aside from the aforementioned advantages, it can also easily switch into Water- and Fire-type attacks aimed at Scizor. Finally, Latios and Latias can both beat the Pokemon that trouble Scizor and can tank Fire and Water attacks.<p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Acrobatics
move 4: Superpower
item: Flying Gem
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to Swords Dance and Bullet Punch, the Technician ability, a base 130 Attack stat, and a ton of setup chances, it's no wonder why Scizor is one of the best physical sweepers around. Thanks to Bullet Punch, Scizor can mitigate its low Speed and OHKO many faster offensive Pokemon that don't resist Bullet Punch at +2, such as Terrakion, Latios, Salamence, and Dragonite (with all bar Terrakion requiring prior Stealth Rock damage). Acrobatics, when backed up by a Swords Dance boost and Flying Gem, becomes a very powerful move capable of taking out several of Scizor's usual checks and is strong enough to be useful even after Flying Gem has been consumed. Namely, at +2 and after Stealth Rock damage, it OHKOes Jellicent, Tentacruel, and Gyarados, while also dealing a minimum of 70% damage to Offensive Pivot Landorus-T after Intimidate. Superpower handles the Pokemon that resist the combination of Acrobatics and Bullet Punch, such as Heatran, Magnezone, Skarmory, and Rotom-W, and provides perfect neutral coverage in OU when combined with Acrobatics with the exception of Thundurus-T.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature enables Scizor to outspeed Adamant Breloom, Timid Magnezone, and uninvested Celebi and Jirachi that might carry Hidden Power Fire, so it's a viable alternative over Adamant. If one prefers more power in Scizor's Bullet Punch, Life Orb and Metal Coat are both excellent choices to use over Flying Gem. Life Orb is better used with Spikes and Stealth Rock support, as one layer of Spikes combined with Stealth Rock allows +2 Bullet Punch to OHKO Jolteon, Garchomp, any Volcarona, and KO 252 HP Latias 75% of the time. Metal Coat makes Bullet Punch strong enough to get the OHKOs on offensive Latias and Venusaur after a Swords Dance boost and Stealth Rock damage. Both items should be used with Bug Bite over Acrobatics, as the latter works only with one-time-use items. Although resisted by many of Scizor's checks, Bug Bite has a constant and reliable 135 Base Power after STAB; with a Life Orb boost, it hits neutral targets harder than Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics does. For example, it deals much more damage to Hippowdon, Rotom-W, and Vaporeon, and greatly helps teams that are weak to Reuniclus, easily OHKOing offensive sets and 2HKOing Calm Mind variants.</p>
<p>This set loves Stealth Rock support. For example, after a boost and with Stealth Rock up, Scizor can OHKO Jellicent with Acrobatics and Latios and Salamence with Bullet Punch. Lead Tyranitar is an excellent partner to set up Stealth Rock, as it not only lures and weakens Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Landorus-T for Scizor to sweep, but it also sets up a sandstorm to help bring many offensive Pokemon into Bullet Punch's OHKO range. Stealth Rock Garchomp is also a good Pokemon to pair with this Scizor, as it is able to weaken the aforementioned Pokemon and can easily switch into and threaten to OHKO Heatran, a very good Scizor check. Specially defensive Celebi checks all the Water-types that threaten Scizor and is a reliable Stealth Rock setter as well.</p>
<p>Physical sweepers with similar counters are the best offensive partners for Scizor. This way, Scizor can either weaken the opposing team for another sweeper to clean up, or the partnered physical sweeper can do the softening up and Scizor the cleaning. Lucario is one of the best physical sweepers to pair with Scizor, as Scizor lures and eliminates almost every Pokemon that hinders Lucario's sweep, such as Landorus-T, Jellicent, Tentacruel, and Gyarados. Offensive Gyarados is another physical sweeper that benefits from the absence of bulky Water-types such as Tentacruel and Jellicent. It has very good defensive synergy with Scizor too, as it is able to check most Fire-types that threaten Scizor while Scizor can deal with Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Celebi. Rotom-W is always a nice teammate and can attract Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Celebi for Scizor to set up on, safely bringing Scizor in with Volt Switch. Any Keldeo variant works well with this Scizor, which is adept at taking out bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Tentacruel, making it much easier for Keldeo to sweep the opposing team. In addition, Keldeo beats every Pokemon that Scizor can't OHKO at +2, with the exceptions of bulky Water-types, which Scizor can take out on its own anyway.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Roost
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Bug Bite / U-turn
item: Leftovers / Iron Plate
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>What this set lacks in power, it makes up for with its strong defensive presence, which gives it much more setup chances than the offensive Swords Dance set and allows it to be a mix of a sweeper and a check to all the offensive Psychic- and Ghost-types of OU. With this EV spread, Scizor fully counters any Gengar and Alakazam without Life Orb and Hidden Power Fire even with Stealth Rock up, and can even counter Life Orb version of those two as long as Stealth Rock is off the field. It is also a fantastic counter to any Calm Mind Jirachi and a great check to Latios and Latias, as unlike the Choice Band set it isn't 2HKOed by Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor and has reliable recovery to stay healthy. In general, this set aims to switch in against the Pokemon it checks and stay healthy with Roost in the early-game, then later go for a sweep if possible.</p>
<p>Swords Dance gives Scizor the power it needs to become threatening and clean up weakened teams. Bullet Punch deals with anything faster that can threaten Scizor, and even without a lot of Attack investment or a boosting item, it still hits pretty hard after a boost, OHKOing Latios after two Stealth Rock rounds and Breloom with Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes up. Bullet Punch is Scizor's classic revenge killing tool for any dangerous offensive threat, although it's not so powerful on this set and can only be used to pick off very weakened Pokemon, unless they are weak to it, such as Terrakion and Mamoswine. Bug Bite is Scizor's source of power against slower Pokemon and the Psychic-types it walls. U-turn is a good alternative Bug move for Scizor, despite its seemingly bad synergy with Swords Dance at first glance. U-turn enables Scizor to keep momentum early- and mid-game while also avoiding one of this set's biggest enemies, Magnezone. While Scizor will have a harder time sweeping late-game without Bug Bite, it can still pull it off as Bullet Punch often will be enough to clean up offensive teams. Finally, Roost is what makes this set work, by giving Scizor the durability it needs to check the Pokemon it is supposed to and attempt a sweep whenever the circumstances allow it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Leftovers is the best option for this set, as it allows Scizor to avoid the 2HKO from Gengar and Alakazam's Focus Blast after Stealth Rock damage and increases its overall tanking ability. However, if one wants Scizor to have a better chance at sweeping and a stronger revenge killing tool, Iron Plate is a great option that allows Scizor to OHKO Latios, Dragonite, and Salamence with +2 Bullet Punch, and offensive Volcarona with the help of Stealth Rock, and Breloom without it. Iron Plate also allows Scizor to fake a Choice Scarf set early-game if used in conjunction with U-turn. An EV spread of 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe Adamant can be used to outspeed slow Pokemon such as specially defensive Heatran, defensive Politoed, and Vaporeon, so Scizor can hit them first and possibly OHKO them while retaining some bulk.</p>
<p>Rain support enhances this set's performance to great levels. Under rain, Scizor doesn't have to worry about a surprise Hidden Power Fire from Latios, Latias, Celebi, Gengar, or Alakazam, and can even avoid the 2HKO from some of these if they have no boosting item. It also means that non-Choice Specs variants of Magnezone can no longer 2HKO Scizor, so Scizor can either U-turn out or start boosting in Magnezone's face if it lacks Charge Beam. Tentacruel is an excellent teammate for Scizor, as this particular set gives free switch-ins to Skarmory and Heatran, which can set up entry hazards and hinder Scizor's team. Tentacruel can easily switch into both Heatran and Skarmory, while also acting as a good check to Water-types that Scizor fears, such as Keldeo and Politoed. Specially defensive Celebi counters most Water-types that give Scizor trouble and can also set up Stealth Rock to help Scizor sweep late-game. Rain Volcarona with Hidden Power Water can lure and weaken many of the Pokemon that prevent Scizor from sweeping, such as Skarmory, Tentacruel, non-Choice Scarf Keldeo, Heatran, and Jellicent, and therefore makes for a fantastic offensive partner. Rotom-W, Latios, and Latias all check Water-types pretty well and have great defensive synergy with Scizor, while Rotom-W also has Volt Switch to complement Scizor's U-turn.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Bullet Punch / Iron Head
move 4: Superpower / Bug Bite
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
ability: Technician
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set performs a role reminiscent to that of Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Gothitelle: its aim is to deal damage to threats, and possibly trap and kill them, before taking damage itself. Because of its low Speed, it is limited to revenge killing threats at and below the base 120 mark, which fortunately is enough to outrun and kill Alakazam. Specifically, Scizor's main targets include fast Psychic- and Ghost-types, the latter of which can be exploited by U-turn, while both fall to Pursuit if they choose to flee. Keep in mind that this is a very specialized set that should only be used on teams that need a fast way to dispose of Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Starmie, and Alakazam without losing momentum.</p>
<p>Outside of these threats, Scizor can simply choose to spam its STAB U-turn to scout and deal decent damage to nearly anything that switches in. Bullet Punch is still useful without a power boost, but is significantly weaker than on other sets and should only be used in desperate situations. Iron Head can be used for more power in this case, but it lacks the valuable priority Bullet Punch offers. Finally, Superpower is used to surprise and KO Steel-type counters, such as Magnezone, Heatran, and Lucario, and for greater coverage in general. Bug Bite can be used instead to deal greater damage to Psychic-types that choose to stay in, though U-turn and Pursuit are usually enough to do the job anyway.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature is absolutely required on this set, as Adamant Scizor is unable to outrun even Espeon and Latios. Maximum Speed lets Scizor tie with opposing Choice Scarf Scizor, as well as the rare but fatally dangerous Choice Scarf Gothitelle. Another attack to consider for this set is Aerial Ace, which nails Volcarona, Infernape, Breloom, and Keldeo, but otherwise compromises coverage.</p>
<p>Since this Scizor can instantly trap and kill the likes of Gengar, Latias, Latios, Starmie, and Alakazam, Pokemon that benefit from their removal absolutely love being paired with it. Hyper offensive teams that use dual hazard suicide leads such as Skarmory and Forretress and Gengar as their spinblocker appreciate Scizor's ability to trap and KO Starmie, which could otherwise get past Gengar. Calm Mind Keldeo, Swords Dance Lucario, Mienshao, and Terrakion are just a few examples of sweepers that could work on such teams, and additionally, they are all decent stallbreakers that can break through walls that Choice Scarf Scizor can't dent.</p>
<p>This set also requires Stealth Rock support to work effectively, as Pursuit isn't enough to even KO certain fleeing Pokemon; Latios, for instance, only goes down to Pursuit after two Stealth Rock switch-ins. Tyranitar and Hippowdon are good Stealth Rock users to pair with Choice Scarf Scizor, as the sandstorm they induce helps bring down the Pokemon that Scizor needs to check to KO range. Furthermore, other revenge killers in the form of Focus Sash users, priority users, or other Choice Scarf Pokemon are necessary, as this Scizor is easily set up on by many Pokemon. Focus Sash Alakazam, Mamoswine, and Breloom are all excellent choices depending on your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 248 HP / 112 Atk / 148 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Because of its typing and movepool, Scizor is naturally able to switch in and take on the Psychic- and Ghost-type threats of OU. This set capitalizes on this very aspect, and is designed specifically to allow Scizor to switch in and eliminate them from play easily. Although the Choice Band set does this job as well, using Life Orb instead means Scizor won't become setup bait for dangerous sweepers that would normally take advantage of it being locked into Pursuit. The heavy investment in special bulk, in combination with Roost, also makes Scizor surprisingly durable by allowing it to tank and recover from Psyshock, Psychic, Draco Meteor, Shadow Ball, and other coverage moves repeatedly. Keep in mind, however, that this set lacks the overall power and coverage of the Choice Band set, so use this set only if your team desperately need threats such as Alakazam, Latios, Latias, Espeon, and Gengar out of the way. Outside of its trapping role, Scizor still does its usual duties with Bullet Punch, a reasonably strong priority that picks off weakened threats, and U-turn, which helps maintain offensive momentum and compensate for Scizor's lack of coverage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is highly specialized; 112 EVs in Attack, along with an Adamant nature, allow Scizor to OHKO a fleeing Latios after Stealth Rock damage with Pursuit, and Gengar with Bullet Punch after Stealth Rock damage, Substitute, and two rounds of Leftovers. The rest of the EVs are put into HP and Special Defense, as most of the threats Scizor traps are usually specially oriented. You can also consider a much bulkier spread along with Leftovers to switch in more easily on the likes of Gengar and Latios; 248 HP / 28 Atk / 236 SpD avoids 2HKOs from Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor and Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast most of the time.</p>
<p>Life Orb is an essential item to this set; however, there are notable alternatives if the recoil from Life Orb is undesirable. Boosting items include Dark Gem, which boosts the power of Pursuit only, and Expert Belt, which boosts the power of super effective hits. Occa Berry is also viable, as it saves Scizor from otherwise fatal KOs from the reasonably common Hidden Power Fire. Be wary that these items further decrease Scizor's physical power, lowering its utility against threats outside of Pursuit targets.</p>
<p>If it wasn't apparent enough already, this Scizor is designed to pair well with Pokemon that appreciate the removal of fast Psychic- and Ghost-types. Examples of Pokemon that benefit from this include Terrakion and Keldeo, both of which are easily stopped by Latias, Latios, and Alakazam, and Lucario, which has trouble beating Gengar without using Bullet Punch (which is overall inferior to Crunch and Ice Punch). If Scizor isn't holding an Occa Berry, Politoed is a good teammate, as the rain it summons lowers the power of Fire-type moves aimed at Scizor, which is extremely helpful if Latios, Gengar, and other Pursuit targets happen to carry Hidden Power Fire, so Scizor can tank and trap them if needed. This set is also walled by Steel-types due to the lack of Superpower, giving Pokemon such as Skarmory, Jirachi, Heatran, and Ferrothorn opportunities to set up. Your own Heatran can deal with these threats with its Fire-type STAB and Earth Power while Magnezone can trap most of them thanks to Magnet Pull. Rotom-W is also a decent counter to many of them, and also completes the VoltTurn combo with Scizor. Preferably, it should have Hidden Power Fire to lure in and beat Ferrothorn, and should invest in bulk to take the common Fire- and rain-boosted Water-type attacks aimed at Scizor.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>The combination of Wacan Berry and Natural Gift provides Scizor with a one-time use 90 Base Power Electric-type attack, which is useful for all the bulky Water-types and Skarmory that like to switch into Scizor. However, it's mostly outclassed by Acrobatics, which already OHKOes most Water-types at +2 and can be used multiple times, unlike Natural Gift. Night Slash and Pursuit can be used on any of the Swords Dance sets if Jellicent is a big problem for Scizor's team, but that's the extent of their usefulness. Pursuit has the added benefit of trapping potentially annoying Pokemon and has only 10 less Base Power than Night Slash thanks to Technician. Brick Break is an option for the offensive Swords Dance set if one detests the stat drops that Superpower causes, but Superpower is still stronger even at -1, which usually makes it the better option. Also, Brick Break fails to do any significant damage to Skarmory, which can phaze Scizor effortlessly. Occa Berry can be used to lure and KO Pokemon that depend on Hidden Power Fire to OHKO Scizor, such as Latios, Latias, Magnezone, Alakazam, and Gengar. Sleep Talk can be used on any Choice set on teams that have trouble with Breloom, as Scizor can switch relatively easy into Breloom. Lum Berry can fit on the offensive Swords Dance set to set up more easily on Pokemon such as defensive Politoed and Jellicent, but Scizor needs to forfeit Acrobatics and use Bug Bite, which means it then fails to OHKO some of the bulky Water-types that Lum Berry helps it set up on, making it often counterproductive.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Physically defensive Skarmory is probably the best Scizor check in OU. It fully counters any set aside from the offensive Swords Dance set, against which it is a very good check as it takes only ~50% from +2 Superpower and can then phaze Scizor with Whirlwind. Jellicent, Tentacruel in rain, and Landorus-T are the next best answers to Scizor. They counter any set without Swords Dance, while Tentacruel and Landorus-T can check the offensive Swords Dance set too, as both are faster and can revenge kill a weakened Scizor. Jellicent and Tentacruel can also beat bulky Swords Dance Scizor too, as it can't hurt them fast enough to avoid getting burned.</p>
<p>Keldeo and Gyarados are the best offensive checks to Scizor, easily taking everything except Acrobatics and denting or OHKOing it back with rain-boosted Water-type attacks. Offensive Heatran is in a similar boat, but fears Superpower instead, while defensive Heatran can act as a secondary Choice Band Scizor switch-in and a bulky Swords Dance Scizor counter. Forretress walls any non-boosting set but is setup fodder for any boosting set and is a big momentum loser if Scizor goes for U-turn, making it a mediocre Scizor check. Timid Magnezone outspeeds and OHKOes any Scizor set that doesn't utilize a Jolly nature or Choice Scarf, and can safely switch into anything except for Superpower. Speedy Rotom-W is a good check to Swords Dance sets, as it can either neutralize Scizor with Will-O-Wisp or just OHKO with Hidden Power Fire, but it is unable to switch into boosted Bug-type attacks. Lastly, any strong Water-type will be able to put a big dent in Scizor, especially if rain is up, while not caring about even +2 Bullet Punch, which means that Pokemon such as Starmie and Choice Scarf Politoed are good revenge killers to use against Scizor.<p>
<p>As for team types, rain and sun teams tend to fare well against Scizor. Rain teams are filled with Water-type Pokemon that can either outspeed and OHKO Scizor (offensive Water-types such as Starmie, Keldeo, and Gyarados) or take a hit and then cripple Scizor in return (bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Tentacruel), while sun teams similarly are full of Pokemon with Fire-type attacks and have multiple checks to Scizor's most-used moves (U-turn and Bullet Punch), such as Ninetales, Heatran, Volcarona, and Landorus-T.</p>
Credits for the writing of the trapper and Scarf sets goes to AccidentalGreed!
Scizor
[Overview]
<p>Scizor is a Pokemon that almost has it all, and it's hence no wonder that it's one of the best Pokemon in OU. Thanks to its excellent Attack stat and Technician ability, Scizor is the strongest priority user in OU and can pick off many menacing offensive threats such as Kyurem-B, Dragonite, Terrakion, and Salamence. Scizor also gets STAB U-turn, to hit everything that doesn't resist it hard while keeping momentum in its team's favor. Furthermore, Scizor has good coverage moves such as Superpower and Acrobatics, allowing it to hit Pokemon that resist its STABs for at least neutral damage and making the task of countering it much more difficult. Pursuit allows Scizor to take out many of the Psychic-types that it scares away, such as Latios, Latias, and Gengar, shielding many teams that have problems with those threats. Swords Dance only adds to its offensive potential, transforming it from a revenge killer and heavy-hitter to a deadly late-game sweeper that can KO many offensive Pokemon with just a +2 Bullet Punch. To top it off, Scizor has an excellent defensive typing that leaves it with only one weakness and multiple useful resistances, has instant recovery in Roost, and can invest in HP to become very bulky thanks to Bullet Punch mitigating its Speed issues. All these traits combine to make it not only an offensive asset, but also a defensive one.</p>
<p>Scizor does have its downsides though. While it might only have one weakness, it is a very exploitable quadruple weakness to Fire. This means that even uninvested Hidden Power Fire from Pokemon with good Special Attack, such as Latias and Celebi will OHKO, or at least come close. Scizor's priority, while strong, has a bad offensive typing as it is resisted by the omnipresent Water-types and therefore by a big portion of rain teams. Further consider that Scizor is neutral to Water moves—which are boosted in rain—and has mediocre special bulk, and it's no wonder that Scizor gets OHKOed by many offensive Water-types, such as Starmie, Keldeo, and Choice Specs Politoed. Keldeo itself, another top-tier threat in OU, gives Scizor a very hard time as it resists Scizor's most-used moves, Bullet Punch and U-turn, and can obliterate it with powerful Water attacks. Finally, Scizor's choiced sets are easy to wall with physically bulky Pokemon such as Skarmory, Forretress, Jellicent, and Landorus-T, and it often gives those Pokemon chances to harass Scizor's team with entry hazards or status.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Pursuit / Quick Attack
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This has been Scizor's flagship set since the Platinum era for good reason. Scizor is one of the few Pokemon that can actually do serious damage with U-turn, which is why it is used not only as a scouting tool but as a strong spammable attack that does a lot of damage to anything that doesn't resist it, and even to some that do. U-turn also combines nicely with Scizor's great typing and bulk to make it a very useful pivot, which uses its low Speed to bring in teammates safely against faster opponents or forced switches. Bullet Punch is Scizor's revenge killing weapon; by shaving off a huge amount of health from all offensive Pokemon that don't resist it, it makes Scizor a great check to Pokemon such as Latios and Terrakion. Superpower hits Steel-types that resist Scizor's STAB moves for at least neutral damage and OHKOes some of them, namely Magnezone and Heatran. Superpower is also Scizor's best option against Keldeo, dealing ~79% damage. Pursuit prevents Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Latios, Latias, Gengar, and Celebi (that lack Baton Pass) from switching out, often putting them in a checkmate position, as Scizor is a good switch-in to all of those Pokemon. If Pursuit's trapping abilities are not needed, Quick Attack is a fine alternative that helps Scizor revenge kill offensive Pokemon that resist Bullet Punch, such as Gyarados, Keldeo, Thundurus-T, and Volcarona. To illustrate its power, Quick Attack KOes offensive Volcarona after Stealth Rock 87.5% of the time.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Scizor's HP EVs minimize Stealth Rock damage and the 8 leftover EVs go to Special Defense because Scizor switches into special attacks more often than it does physical ones. Bug Bite can be used in the last slot for a strong Bug STAB move that doesn't force it out, making dealing with Pokemon such as Reuniclus and SubCM Jirachi much easier, but its use ends there. Night Slash is useful to catch Jellicent on the switch, 2HKOing even the most physically bulky sets, but Jellicent usually invests enough Speed EVs to outrun uninvested Scizor sets, so Scizor would have to sacrifice a lot of bulk to make sure it will outspeed Jellicent. If Scizor's team lacks a solid switch-in to Choice Specs Latios, an EV spread of 248 HP / 92 Atk / 168 SpD with an Adamant nature can be used, allowing Scizor to always avoid the 2HKO from Draco Meteor even with Stealth Rock in play and eliminate Latios with Pursuit. This spread also makes Scizor a much safer switch-in to Alakazam, Latias, and Gengar, especially if used in rain, where these Pokemon cannot OHKO Scizor with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Scizor greatly appreciates Rapid Spin support, as U-turn is the move it will be using most of the time. Offensive Analytic Starmie pairs well with Scizor, as not only it is able to beat both OU spinblockers, Jellicent and Gengar, it can also beat most Pokemon that give Scizor trouble, such as Skarmory, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Gliscor, Jellicent, Keldeo, Gyarados, and Tentacruel. Scizor returns the favor by doing huge amounts of damage to Blissey, Chansey, Celebi, and Ferrothorn, paving the way for Starmie to clean up. They also share wonderful defensive synergy, with Starmie resisting Scizor's lone weakness and Scizor resisting three of Starmie's weaknesses: Grass, Dark, and Ghost. Tentacruel is another Rapid Spinner that has very good synergy with Scizor on rain teams. Similarly to Starmie, Tentacruel can beat all the Ghost-types in OU with a SubToxic set, ensuring the removal of hazards. It also checks many of the Pokemon that stand in the way of Scizor, such as Keldeo, Heatran, and Skarmory.<p>
<p>As one of the best U-turn users in OU, Scizor also finds itself a home in VoltTurn chains. A teammate to take on Water and Fire attacks is also a necessity, as Scizor struggles against Water-types, Drizzle-boosted Water attacks, and any Fire attack in general. For these reasons, partners such as Rotom-W, Thundurus-T, and Celebi are very beneficial for Scizor. They are able to beat not only bulky Water- and Ground-types that annoy Scizor, but Skarmory too, and also have U-turn or Volt Switch to continue the chain. Rotom-W is the best of these, as aside from the aforementioned advantages, it can also easily switch into Water- and Fire-type attacks aimed at Scizor. Finally, Latios and Latias can both beat the Pokemon that trouble Scizor and can tank Fire and Water attacks.<p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Acrobatics
move 4: Superpower
item: Flying Gem
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to Swords Dance and Bullet Punch, the Technician ability, a base 130 Attack stat, and a ton of setup chances, it's no wonder why Scizor is one of the best physical sweepers around. Thanks to Bullet Punch, Scizor can mitigate its low Speed and OHKO many faster offensive Pokemon that don't resist Bullet Punch at +2, such as Terrakion, Latios, Salamence, and Dragonite (with all bar Terrakion requiring prior Stealth Rock damage). Acrobatics, when backed up by a Swords Dance boost and Flying Gem, becomes a very powerful move capable of taking out several of Scizor's usual checks and is strong enough to be useful even after Flying Gem has been consumed. Namely, at +2 and after Stealth Rock damage, it OHKOes Jellicent, Tentacruel, and Gyarados, while also dealing a minimum of 70% damage to Offensive Pivot Landorus-T after Intimidate. Superpower handles the Pokemon that resist the combination of Acrobatics and Bullet Punch, such as Heatran, Magnezone, Skarmory, and Rotom-W, and provides perfect neutral coverage in OU when combined with Acrobatics with the exception of Thundurus-T.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature enables Scizor to outspeed Adamant Breloom, Timid Magnezone, and uninvested Celebi and Jirachi that might carry Hidden Power Fire, so it's a viable alternative over Adamant. If one prefers more power in Scizor's Bullet Punch, Life Orb and Metal Coat are both excellent choices to use over Flying Gem. Life Orb is better used with Spikes and Stealth Rock support, as one layer of Spikes combined with Stealth Rock allows +2 Bullet Punch to OHKO Jolteon, Garchomp, any Volcarona, and KO 252 HP Latias 75% of the time. Metal Coat makes Bullet Punch strong enough to get the OHKOs on offensive Latias and Venusaur after a Swords Dance boost and Stealth Rock damage. Both items should be used with Bug Bite over Acrobatics, as the latter works only with one-time-use items. Although resisted by many of Scizor's checks, Bug Bite has a constant and reliable 135 Base Power after STAB; with a Life Orb boost, it hits neutral targets harder than Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics does. For example, it deals much more damage to Hippowdon, Rotom-W, and Vaporeon, and greatly helps teams that are weak to Reuniclus, easily OHKOing offensive sets and 2HKOing Calm Mind variants.</p>
<p>This set loves Stealth Rock support. For example, after a boost and with Stealth Rock up, Scizor can OHKO Jellicent with Acrobatics and Latios and Salamence with Bullet Punch. Lead Tyranitar is an excellent partner to set up Stealth Rock, as it not only lures and weakens Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Landorus-T for Scizor to sweep, but it also sets up a sandstorm to help bring many offensive Pokemon into Bullet Punch's OHKO range. Stealth Rock Garchomp is also a good Pokemon to pair with this Scizor, as it is able to weaken the aforementioned Pokemon and can easily switch into and threaten to OHKO Heatran, a very good Scizor check. Specially defensive Celebi checks all the Water-types that threaten Scizor and is a reliable Stealth Rock setter as well.</p>
<p>Physical sweepers with similar counters are the best offensive partners for Scizor. This way, Scizor can either weaken the opposing team for another sweeper to clean up, or the partnered physical sweeper can do the softening up and Scizor the cleaning. Lucario is one of the best physical sweepers to pair with Scizor, as Scizor lures and eliminates almost every Pokemon that hinders Lucario's sweep, such as Landorus-T, Jellicent, Tentacruel, and Gyarados. Offensive Gyarados is another physical sweeper that benefits from the absence of bulky Water-types such as Tentacruel and Jellicent. It has very good defensive synergy with Scizor too, as it is able to check most Fire-types that threaten Scizor while Scizor can deal with Grass-types such as Ferrothorn and Celebi. Rotom-W is always a nice teammate and can attract Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Celebi for Scizor to set up on, safely bringing Scizor in with Volt Switch. Any Keldeo variant works well with this Scizor, which is adept at taking out bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Tentacruel, making it much easier for Keldeo to sweep the opposing team. In addition, Keldeo beats every Pokemon that Scizor can't OHKO at +2, with the exceptions of bulky Water-types, which Scizor can take out on its own anyway.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Roost
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Bug Bite / U-turn
item: Leftovers / Iron Plate
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>What this set lacks in power, it makes up for with its strong defensive presence, which gives it much more setup chances than the offensive Swords Dance set and allows it to be a mix of a sweeper and a check to all the offensive Psychic- and Ghost-types of OU. With this EV spread, Scizor fully counters any Gengar and Alakazam without Life Orb and Hidden Power Fire even with Stealth Rock up, and can even counter Life Orb version of those two as long as Stealth Rock is off the field. It is also a fantastic counter to any Calm Mind Jirachi and a great check to Latios and Latias, as unlike the Choice Band set it isn't 2HKOed by Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor and has reliable recovery to stay healthy. In general, this set aims to switch in against the Pokemon it checks and stay healthy with Roost in the early-game, then later go for a sweep if possible.</p>
<p>Swords Dance gives Scizor the power it needs to become threatening and clean up weakened teams. Bullet Punch deals with anything faster that can threaten Scizor, and even without a lot of Attack investment or a boosting item, it still hits pretty hard after a boost, OHKOing Latios after two Stealth Rock rounds and Breloom with Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes up. Bullet Punch is Scizor's classic revenge killing tool for any dangerous offensive threat, although it's not so powerful on this set and can only be used to pick off very weakened Pokemon, unless they are weak to it, such as Terrakion and Mamoswine. Bug Bite is Scizor's source of power against slower Pokemon and the Psychic-types it walls. U-turn is a good alternative Bug move for Scizor, despite its seemingly bad synergy with Swords Dance at first glance. U-turn enables Scizor to keep momentum early- and mid-game while also avoiding one of this set's biggest enemies, Magnezone. While Scizor will have a harder time sweeping late-game without Bug Bite, it can still pull it off as Bullet Punch often will be enough to clean up offensive teams. Finally, Roost is what makes this set work, by giving Scizor the durability it needs to check the Pokemon it is supposed to and attempt a sweep whenever the circumstances allow it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Leftovers is the best option for this set, as it allows Scizor to avoid the 2HKO from Gengar and Alakazam's Focus Blast after Stealth Rock damage and increases its overall tanking ability. However, if one wants Scizor to have a better chance at sweeping and a stronger revenge killing tool, Iron Plate is a great option that allows Scizor to OHKO Latios, Dragonite, and Salamence with +2 Bullet Punch, and offensive Volcarona with the help of Stealth Rock, and Breloom without it. Iron Plate also allows Scizor to fake a Choice Scarf set early-game if used in conjunction with U-turn. An EV spread of 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe Adamant can be used to outspeed slow Pokemon such as specially defensive Heatran, defensive Politoed, and Vaporeon, so Scizor can hit them first and possibly OHKO them while retaining some bulk.</p>
<p>Rain support enhances this set's performance to great levels. Under rain, Scizor doesn't have to worry about a surprise Hidden Power Fire from Latios, Latias, Celebi, Gengar, or Alakazam, and can even avoid the 2HKO from some of these if they have no boosting item. It also means that non-Choice Specs variants of Magnezone can no longer 2HKO Scizor, so Scizor can either U-turn out or start boosting in Magnezone's face if it lacks Charge Beam. Tentacruel is an excellent teammate for Scizor, as this particular set gives free switch-ins to Skarmory and Heatran, which can set up entry hazards and hinder Scizor's team. Tentacruel can easily switch into both Heatran and Skarmory, while also acting as a good check to Water-types that Scizor fears, such as Keldeo and Politoed. Specially defensive Celebi counters most Water-types that give Scizor trouble and can also set up Stealth Rock to help Scizor sweep late-game. Rain Volcarona with Hidden Power Water can lure and weaken many of the Pokemon that prevent Scizor from sweeping, such as Skarmory, Tentacruel, non-Choice Scarf Keldeo, Heatran, and Jellicent, and therefore makes for a fantastic offensive partner. Rotom-W, Latios, and Latias all check Water-types pretty well and have great defensive synergy with Scizor, while Rotom-W also has Volt Switch to complement Scizor's U-turn.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Bullet Punch / Iron Head
move 4: Superpower / Bug Bite
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
ability: Technician
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set performs a role reminiscent to that of Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Gothitelle: its aim is to deal damage to threats, and possibly trap and kill them, before taking damage itself. Because of its low Speed, it is limited to revenge killing threats at and below the base 120 mark, which fortunately is enough to outrun and kill Alakazam. Specifically, Scizor's main targets include fast Psychic- and Ghost-types, the latter of which can be exploited by U-turn, while both fall to Pursuit if they choose to flee. Keep in mind that this is a very specialized set that should only be used on teams that need a fast way to dispose of Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, Starmie, and Alakazam without losing momentum.</p>
<p>Outside of these threats, Scizor can simply choose to spam its STAB U-turn to scout and deal decent damage to nearly anything that switches in. Bullet Punch is still useful without a power boost, but is significantly weaker than on other sets and should only be used in desperate situations. Iron Head can be used for more power in this case, but it lacks the valuable priority Bullet Punch offers. Finally, Superpower is used to surprise and KO Steel-type counters, such as Magnezone, Heatran, and Lucario, and for greater coverage in general. Bug Bite can be used instead to deal greater damage to Psychic-types that choose to stay in, though U-turn and Pursuit are usually enough to do the job anyway.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature is absolutely required on this set, as Adamant Scizor is unable to outrun even Espeon and Latios. Maximum Speed lets Scizor tie with opposing Choice Scarf Scizor, as well as the rare but fatally dangerous Choice Scarf Gothitelle. Another attack to consider for this set is Aerial Ace, which nails Volcarona, Infernape, Breloom, and Keldeo, but otherwise compromises coverage.</p>
<p>Since this Scizor can instantly trap and kill the likes of Gengar, Latias, Latios, Starmie, and Alakazam, Pokemon that benefit from their removal absolutely love being paired with it. Hyper offensive teams that use dual hazard suicide leads such as Skarmory and Forretress and Gengar as their spinblocker appreciate Scizor's ability to trap and KO Starmie, which could otherwise get past Gengar. Calm Mind Keldeo, Swords Dance Lucario, Mienshao, and Terrakion are just a few examples of sweepers that could work on such teams, and additionally, they are all decent stallbreakers that can break through walls that Choice Scarf Scizor can't dent.</p>
<p>This set also requires Stealth Rock support to work effectively, as Pursuit isn't enough to even KO certain fleeing Pokemon; Latios, for instance, only goes down to Pursuit after two Stealth Rock switch-ins. Tyranitar and Hippowdon are good Stealth Rock users to pair with Choice Scarf Scizor, as the sandstorm they induce helps bring down the Pokemon that Scizor needs to check to KO range. Furthermore, other revenge killers in the form of Focus Sash users, priority users, or other Choice Scarf Pokemon are necessary, as this Scizor is easily set up on by many Pokemon. Focus Sash Alakazam, Mamoswine, and Breloom are all excellent choices depending on your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 248 HP / 112 Atk / 148 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Because of its typing and movepool, Scizor is naturally able to switch in and take on the Psychic- and Ghost-type threats of OU. This set capitalizes on this very aspect, and is designed specifically to allow Scizor to switch in and eliminate them from play easily. Although the Choice Band set does this job as well, using Life Orb instead means Scizor won't become setup bait for dangerous sweepers that would normally take advantage of it being locked into Pursuit. The heavy investment in special bulk, in combination with Roost, also makes Scizor surprisingly durable by allowing it to tank and recover from Psyshock, Psychic, Draco Meteor, Shadow Ball, and other coverage moves repeatedly. Keep in mind, however, that this set lacks the overall power and coverage of the Choice Band set, so use this set only if your team desperately need threats such as Alakazam, Latios, Latias, Espeon, and Gengar out of the way. Outside of its trapping role, Scizor still does its usual duties with Bullet Punch, a reasonably strong priority that picks off weakened threats, and U-turn, which helps maintain offensive momentum and compensate for Scizor's lack of coverage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is highly specialized; 112 EVs in Attack, along with an Adamant nature, allow Scizor to OHKO a fleeing Latios after Stealth Rock damage with Pursuit, and Gengar with Bullet Punch after Stealth Rock damage, Substitute, and two rounds of Leftovers. The rest of the EVs are put into HP and Special Defense, as most of the threats Scizor traps are usually specially oriented. You can also consider a much bulkier spread along with Leftovers to switch in more easily on the likes of Gengar and Latios; 248 HP / 28 Atk / 236 SpD avoids 2HKOs from Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor and Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast most of the time.</p>
<p>Life Orb is an essential item to this set; however, there are notable alternatives if the recoil from Life Orb is undesirable. Boosting items include Dark Gem, which boosts the power of Pursuit only, and Expert Belt, which boosts the power of super effective hits. Occa Berry is also viable, as it saves Scizor from otherwise fatal KOs from the reasonably common Hidden Power Fire. Be wary that these items further decrease Scizor's physical power, lowering its utility against threats outside of Pursuit targets.</p>
<p>If it wasn't apparent enough already, this Scizor is designed to pair well with Pokemon that appreciate the removal of fast Psychic- and Ghost-types. Examples of Pokemon that benefit from this include Terrakion and Keldeo, both of which are easily stopped by Latias, Latios, and Alakazam, and Lucario, which has trouble beating Gengar without using Bullet Punch (which is overall inferior to Crunch and Ice Punch). If Scizor isn't holding an Occa Berry, Politoed is a good teammate, as the rain it summons lowers the power of Fire-type moves aimed at Scizor, which is extremely helpful if Latios, Gengar, and other Pursuit targets happen to carry Hidden Power Fire, so Scizor can tank and trap them if needed. This set is also walled by Steel-types due to the lack of Superpower, giving Pokemon such as Skarmory, Jirachi, Heatran, and Ferrothorn opportunities to set up. Your own Heatran can deal with these threats with its Fire-type STAB and Earth Power while Magnezone can trap most of them thanks to Magnet Pull. Rotom-W is also a decent counter to many of them, and also completes the VoltTurn combo with Scizor. Preferably, it should have Hidden Power Fire to lure in and beat Ferrothorn, and should invest in bulk to take the common Fire- and rain-boosted Water-type attacks aimed at Scizor.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>The combination of Wacan Berry and Natural Gift provides Scizor with a one-time use 90 Base Power Electric-type attack, which is useful for all the bulky Water-types and Skarmory that like to switch into Scizor. However, it's mostly outclassed by Acrobatics, which already OHKOes most Water-types at +2 and can be used multiple times, unlike Natural Gift. Night Slash and Pursuit can be used on any of the Swords Dance sets if Jellicent is a big problem for Scizor's team, but that's the extent of their usefulness. Pursuit has the added benefit of trapping potentially annoying Pokemon and has only 10 less Base Power than Night Slash thanks to Technician. Brick Break is an option for the offensive Swords Dance set if one detests the stat drops that Superpower causes, but Superpower is still stronger even at -1, which usually makes it the better option. Also, Brick Break fails to do any significant damage to Skarmory, which can phaze Scizor effortlessly. Occa Berry can be used to lure and KO Pokemon that depend on Hidden Power Fire to OHKO Scizor, such as Latios, Latias, Magnezone, Alakazam, and Gengar. Sleep Talk can be used on any Choice set on teams that have trouble with Breloom, as Scizor can switch relatively easy into Breloom. Lum Berry can fit on the offensive Swords Dance set to set up more easily on Pokemon such as defensive Politoed and Jellicent, but Scizor needs to forfeit Acrobatics and use Bug Bite, which means it then fails to OHKO some of the bulky Water-types that Lum Berry helps it set up on, making it often counterproductive.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Physically defensive Skarmory is probably the best Scizor check in OU. It fully counters any set aside from the offensive Swords Dance set, against which it is a very good check as it takes only ~50% from +2 Superpower and can then phaze Scizor with Whirlwind. Jellicent, Tentacruel in rain, and Landorus-T are the next best answers to Scizor. They counter any set without Swords Dance, while Tentacruel and Landorus-T can check the offensive Swords Dance set too, as both are faster and can revenge kill a weakened Scizor. Jellicent and Tentacruel can also beat bulky Swords Dance Scizor too, as it can't hurt them fast enough to avoid getting burned.</p>
<p>Keldeo and Gyarados are the best offensive checks to Scizor, easily taking everything except Acrobatics and denting or OHKOing it back with rain-boosted Water-type attacks. Offensive Heatran is in a similar boat, but fears Superpower instead, while defensive Heatran can act as a secondary Choice Band Scizor switch-in and a bulky Swords Dance Scizor counter. Forretress walls any non-boosting set but is setup fodder for any boosting set and is a big momentum loser if Scizor goes for U-turn, making it a mediocre Scizor check. Timid Magnezone outspeeds and OHKOes any Scizor set that doesn't utilize a Jolly nature or Choice Scarf, and can safely switch into anything except for Superpower. Speedy Rotom-W is a good check to Swords Dance sets, as it can either neutralize Scizor with Will-O-Wisp or just OHKO with Hidden Power Fire, but it is unable to switch into boosted Bug-type attacks. Lastly, any strong Water-type will be able to put a big dent in Scizor, especially if rain is up, while not caring about even +2 Bullet Punch, which means that Pokemon such as Starmie and Choice Scarf Politoed are good revenge killers to use against Scizor.<p>
<p>As for team types, rain and sun teams tend to fare well against Scizor. Rain teams are filled with Water-type Pokemon that can either outspeed and OHKO Scizor (offensive Water-types such as Starmie, Keldeo, and Gyarados) or take a hit and then cripple Scizor in return (bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Tentacruel), while sun teams similarly are full of Pokemon with Fire-type attacks and have multiple checks to Scizor's most-used moves (U-turn and Bullet Punch), such as Ninetales, Heatran, Volcarona, and Landorus-T.</p>
[Overview]
- Technician boosted priority
- STAB U-turn
- Awesome defensive typing
- Swords Dance
- Good coverage with Superpower + Pursuit trapping abilities
- Easily walled by physical walls
- Spikes bait if choiced
- Keldeo checks it and rain teams check it too
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Pursuit / Quick Attack
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
- Strongest U-turn user in OU
- Its good bulk and typing give it ample switch-in chances and U-turn deal a lot of damage to anything offensive and gives switch initiative
- Bullet Punch deals a shiton of damage to most offensive Pokemon and makes Scizor a great revenge killer
- Thanks to the above Scizor makes for a great check to dangerous offensive Pokemon such as Latios and Terrakion
- Superpower hits Steel-types for good damage and damages many Fire, Electric, and Water-types that may attempt to switch-into Scizor, such as Magnezone, Keldeo, and Heatran
- Pursuit traps Psychic and Ghost-types such as Lati@s, Celebi, and Gengar
- Quick Attack helps deal with offensive Pokemon that are resistant to Bullet Punch such as Gyarados, Thundurus-T, Keldeo, and Volcarona
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- HP EVs minimze SR damage and 8 leftovers EVs go into SpD as Scizor takes special attacks more often
- Bug Bite
- Night Slash
- Specially defensive spread?
- Max speed with Jolly?
- Spin support
- Hazard support
- VoltTurn
- Something to take on Water and Fire attacks
- Rotom-W and Celebi have both amazing synergy with Scizor and switch iniative moves
- Lati@s
[SET]
name: Offensive Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Bug Bite / Acrobatics
item: Life Orb / Flying Gem
nature: Adamant / Jolly
ability: Technician
evss: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- One of the best physical sweepers around
- 130 Atk + SD + Technician boosted BP make Scizor's low Speed a non-issue
- Strong Bug STAB in Bug Bite helps break through defensive Pokemon
- Acrobatics beats Water-types such as Jellicent, Tentacruel, Gyarados, and Keldeo (the latter on the switch)
- Superpower covers Steel-types and some others
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Use Adamant unless you want to outspeed Adamant Breloom, Timid Magnezone, and defensive Jirachi
- Lum Berry
- Hazards
- Physical sweepers with similar counters. Lucario is the best one
- Use this set either to weaken another Pokemons counters so it can sweep or to finish the game. Anything else usually means that you are wasting Scizor's potential
We changed this to Acro so i didn't really use a skeleton for it
[SET]
name: Bulky Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Roost
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Bug Bite / U-turn
item: Leftovers / Iron Plate
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SpDSpe (sry mistake)
[SET COMMENTS]
- Perfect counter to the plethora of Psychic-types that inhabit OU, such as HP Fire-less Alakazam, Lati@s, and Celebi, and most Jirachi
- Walls and beats many Pokemon that CB Scizor can't, thx to the combination of Roost, SD, and added special bulk
- SD makes Scizor threatening and allows it to sweep late-game
- BP picks off faster Pokemon that can threaten Scizor
- Bug Bite is Scizor's strongest STAB move and deals with the Psychic-types that Scizor walls
- U-turn enables Scizor to keep momentum early and mid game, while also avoiding one of this set's biggest enemies, Magnezone. While Scizor will have a harder time sweeping late-game it can still pull it of, as most of the time only Bullet Punch is needed
- Roost enables Scizor to take multiple assaults and makes boosting easier
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Leftovers for healing and Iron Plate for better sweeping potential. Iron Plate works good with U-turn to fake a CB set, assuming the oppoennt is naive and doesn't check the damage dealt
- 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed specially defensive Heatran and outrun some other slow attackers so Scizor can roll over them while retaining some bulk
- Rain support, which allows Scizot to deal with Psychic-types much easier, even if they have HP Fire. For example HP Fire from SashZam, defensive Celebi, and CM Latias will never 2HKO Scizor without SR up
- Spin support
- Hazard support
- Heatran, Skarmory, Keldeo, Tentacruel, and Jellicent answers
- Rain Volcarona with HP Water can lure and weaken most of those Pokemon
- Rotom-W
- Celebi
- Lati@s
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Bullet Punch / Iron Head
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Superpower / (maybe Bug Bite?)
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Bug Bite to instead of Superpower to better deal with Psychic-types that stay in
- The ability to trap and kill Psychics before they can strike + priority + STAB U-turn differntiate this set from other Scarfers, especially Jirachi, the most common Steel-type scarfer
- Very specialized set that should be used only on teams that need Gengar, Alakazam, Celebi, and Lati@s desperately out of the way
- Bullet Punch is useful even without any boosting item or nature. Iron Head has more power but leaves Scizor helpless against any Speed-boosting sweeper
- U-turn for momentum and if you predict the oppoennt's Psychic-type will stay in, otherwise use Pursuit
- Superpower for Steel-types and general coverage
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Aerial Ace is cool for nailing Volcarona / Infernape / Ebelt Keldeo / Breloom
- This Scizor set has the potential to deal with Lati@s better than any other due to its ability to outspeed and KO before taking a hit if you predict correctly
- Use alongside Pokemon that need Gengar, Lati@s, Alakazam, and Starmie gone or weakened. Calm Mind Keldeo, SD Lucario, and Mienshao all love those Pokemon out of the way and are all also decent stallbreakers and much needed to break through the walls that Scizor can't
- SR support
- Other Scarfer or SashZam or more priority, as this Scizor is one of the worst revenge killers out there. Hippowdon, Mamoswine, and SashZam are all excellent choices.
[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Atk / 148 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
- Specialized trapper that is designed to switch into Psychic-types and eliminate them
- Roost + special bulk + LO allow Scizor to do exactly this while not becoming setup bait after trapping its target, unlike the other sets of Sczior that utilize Pursuit
- Bullet Punch is very strong priority
- U-turn is Scizor's stronger move and helps keep momentum, which is good, as Scizor is easily walled
- Roost helps offset LO, SR damage, and special assaults
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- The 112 Attack EVs are used for some notable KOs, including KOing Latios with Pursuit after Stealth Rock damage and KOing Gengar with Bullet Punch after Stealth Rock damage, Substitute, and two rounds of Leftovers. The rest of the EVs are used to maximize bulk on the special side as the Pokemon Scizor is being used to trap are all specially oriented.
- Bulkier spread along with Leftovers to switch in on the likes of Gengar and Latios more easily; 248 HP / 28 Atk / 236 SpD avoids 2HKOs from Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor and Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast most of the time
- Expert Belt, Dark Gem, and Occa Berry
- Politoed to help trap Psychic-types that might carry HP Fire
- Heatran and Magnezone to deal with Steel-types that wall Scizor
- Pokemon that appreciate Lati@s, Gengar, and Alakazam gone, such as Virizion and Terrakion
[Other Options]
- Wacan Berry + Natural Gift on offensive SD
- Night Slash and Pursuit on any set to deal with Jellicent
- Brick Break
- Occa Berry
[Checks and Counters]
- Jellicent
- Skarmory (loses to offensive SD)
- Tentacruel (needs rain up)
- Keldeo (check)
- Gyrados (counters with rain up, otherwise check)
- Landorus-T (loses to offensive SD and bulky SD, but leaves offensive SD horribly weakened to the point it will die after 1-2 more LO rounds)
- Forretress (loses to any SD set)
- Heatran (counters any set without Superpower and checks those with it)
- Ninetales (ok check but despises U-turn with SR up
- Volcarona (one time check or good check if it is defenisve and SR is off the field
- Magnezone (traps and kills any Scizor not locked into Superpower and counters any set that lacks Superpower)
- Rotom-W (fast Rotom-W can switch into BP, outspeed, and cripple with WoW or OHKOs with H-Pump in rain / HP Fire)
- Starmie (switches in BP and OHKOes back in rain)
- Politoed (Specs outspeeds and OHKOes or heavily damages slow Scizor version, while Scarf outspeeds and OHKOes offensive SD while being able to take even +2 BP)
- Toxicroak (defensive sets take everything from the CB set easily, aside from BP, which can easily be deal with by teammates, and walls the Scarf and Trapper sets. Needs to be in rain to check Scizor)
- Technician boosted priority
- STAB U-turn
- Awesome defensive typing
- Swords Dance
- Good coverage with Superpower + Pursuit trapping abilities
- Easily walled by physical walls
- Spikes bait if choiced
- Keldeo checks it and rain teams check it too
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Pursuit / Quick Attack
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
- Strongest U-turn user in OU
- Its good bulk and typing give it ample switch-in chances and U-turn deal a lot of damage to anything offensive and gives switch initiative
- Bullet Punch deals a shiton of damage to most offensive Pokemon and makes Scizor a great revenge killer
- Thanks to the above Scizor makes for a great check to dangerous offensive Pokemon such as Latios and Terrakion
- Superpower hits Steel-types for good damage and damages many Fire, Electric, and Water-types that may attempt to switch-into Scizor, such as Magnezone, Keldeo, and Heatran
- Pursuit traps Psychic and Ghost-types such as Lati@s, Celebi, and Gengar
- Quick Attack helps deal with offensive Pokemon that are resistant to Bullet Punch such as Gyarados, Thundurus-T, Keldeo, and Volcarona
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- HP EVs minimze SR damage and 8 leftovers EVs go into SpD as Scizor takes special attacks more often
- Bug Bite
- Night Slash
- Specially defensive spread?
- Max speed with Jolly?
- Spin support
- Hazard support
- VoltTurn
- Something to take on Water and Fire attacks
- Rotom-W and Celebi have both amazing synergy with Scizor and switch iniative moves
- Lati@s
[SET]
name: Offensive Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Bug Bite / Acrobatics
item: Life Orb / Flying Gem
nature: Adamant / Jolly
ability: Technician
evss: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- One of the best physical sweepers around
- 130 Atk + SD + Technician boosted BP make Scizor's low Speed a non-issue
- Strong Bug STAB in Bug Bite helps break through defensive Pokemon
- Acrobatics beats Water-types such as Jellicent, Tentacruel, Gyarados, and Keldeo (the latter on the switch)
- Superpower covers Steel-types and some others
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Use Adamant unless you want to outspeed Adamant Breloom, Timid Magnezone, and defensive Jirachi
- Lum Berry
- Hazards
- Physical sweepers with similar counters. Lucario is the best one
- Use this set either to weaken another Pokemons counters so it can sweep or to finish the game. Anything else usually means that you are wasting Scizor's potential
We changed this to Acro so i didn't really use a skeleton for it
[SET]
name: Bulky Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Roost
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Bug Bite / U-turn
item: Leftovers / Iron Plate
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
- Perfect counter to the plethora of Psychic-types that inhabit OU, such as HP Fire-less Alakazam, Lati@s, and Celebi, and most Jirachi
- Walls and beats many Pokemon that CB Scizor can't, thx to the combination of Roost, SD, and added special bulk
- SD makes Scizor threatening and allows it to sweep late-game
- BP picks off faster Pokemon that can threaten Scizor
- Bug Bite is Scizor's strongest STAB move and deals with the Psychic-types that Scizor walls
- U-turn enables Scizor to keep momentum early and mid game, while also avoiding one of this set's biggest enemies, Magnezone. While Scizor will have a harder time sweeping late-game it can still pull it of, as most of the time only Bullet Punch is needed
- Roost enables Scizor to take multiple assaults and makes boosting easier
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Leftovers for healing and Iron Plate for better sweeping potential. Iron Plate works good with U-turn to fake a CB set, assuming the oppoennt is naive and doesn't check the damage dealt
- 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed specially defensive Heatran and outrun some other slow attackers so Scizor can roll over them while retaining some bulk
- Rain support, which allows Scizot to deal with Psychic-types much easier, even if they have HP Fire. For example HP Fire from SashZam, defensive Celebi, and CM Latias will never 2HKO Scizor without SR up
- Spin support
- Hazard support
- Heatran, Skarmory, Keldeo, Tentacruel, and Jellicent answers
- Rain Volcarona with HP Water can lure and weaken most of those Pokemon
- Rotom-W
- Celebi
- Lati@s
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: U-turn
move 2: Bullet Punch / Iron Head
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Superpower / (maybe Bug Bite?)
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Bug Bite to instead of Superpower to better deal with Psychic-types that stay in
- The ability to trap and kill Psychics before they can strike + priority + STAB U-turn differntiate this set from other Scarfers, especially Jirachi, the most common Steel-type scarfer
- Very specialized set that should be used only on teams that need Gengar, Alakazam, Celebi, and Lati@s desperately out of the way
- Bullet Punch is useful even without any boosting item or nature. Iron Head has more power but leaves Scizor helpless against any Speed-boosting sweeper
- U-turn for momentum and if you predict the oppoennt's Psychic-type will stay in, otherwise use Pursuit
- Superpower for Steel-types and general coverage
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Aerial Ace is cool for nailing Volcarona / Infernape / Ebelt Keldeo / Breloom
- This Scizor set has the potential to deal with Lati@s better than any other due to its ability to outspeed and KO before taking a hit if you predict correctly
- Use alongside Pokemon that need Gengar, Lati@s, Alakazam, and Starmie gone or weakened. Calm Mind Keldeo, SD Lucario, and Mienshao all love those Pokemon out of the way and are all also decent stallbreakers and much needed to break through the walls that Scizor can't
- SR support
- Other Scarfer or SashZam or more priority, as this Scizor is one of the worst revenge killers out there. Hippowdon, Mamoswine, and SashZam are all excellent choices.
[SET]
name: Trapper
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 112 Atk / 148 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
- Specialized trapper that is designed to switch into Psychic-types and eliminate them
- Roost + special bulk + LO allow Scizor to do exactly this while not becoming setup bait after trapping its target, unlike the other sets of Sczior that utilize Pursuit
- Bullet Punch is very strong priority
- U-turn is Scizor's stronger move and helps keep momentum, which is good, as Scizor is easily walled
- Roost helps offset LO, SR damage, and special assaults
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- The 112 Attack EVs are used for some notable KOs, including KOing Latios with Pursuit after Stealth Rock damage and KOing Gengar with Bullet Punch after Stealth Rock damage, Substitute, and two rounds of Leftovers. The rest of the EVs are used to maximize bulk on the special side as the Pokemon Scizor is being used to trap are all specially oriented.
- Bulkier spread along with Leftovers to switch in on the likes of Gengar and Latios more easily; 248 HP / 28 Atk / 236 SpD avoids 2HKOs from Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor and Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast most of the time
- Expert Belt, Dark Gem, and Occa Berry
- Politoed to help trap Psychic-types that might carry HP Fire
- Heatran and Magnezone to deal with Steel-types that wall Scizor
- Pokemon that appreciate Lati@s, Gengar, and Alakazam gone, such as Virizion and Terrakion
[Other Options]
- Wacan Berry + Natural Gift on offensive SD
- Night Slash and Pursuit on any set to deal with Jellicent
- Brick Break
- Occa Berry
[Checks and Counters]
- Jellicent
- Skarmory (loses to offensive SD)
- Tentacruel (needs rain up)
- Keldeo (check)
- Gyrados (counters with rain up, otherwise check)
- Landorus-T (loses to offensive SD and bulky SD, but leaves offensive SD horribly weakened to the point it will die after 1-2 more LO rounds)
- Forretress (loses to any SD set)
- Heatran (counters any set without Superpower and checks those with it)
- Ninetales (ok check but despises U-turn with SR up
- Volcarona (one time check or good check if it is defenisve and SR is off the field
- Magnezone (traps and kills any Scizor not locked into Superpower and counters any set that lacks Superpower)
- Rotom-W (fast Rotom-W can switch into BP, outspeed, and cripple with WoW or OHKOs with H-Pump in rain / HP Fire)
- Starmie (switches in BP and OHKOes back in rain)
- Politoed (Specs outspeeds and OHKOes or heavily damages slow Scizor version, while Scarf outspeeds and OHKOes offensive SD while being able to take even +2 BP)
- Toxicroak (defensive sets take everything from the CB set easily, aside from BP, which can easily be deal with by teammates, and walls the Scarf and Trapper sets. Needs to be in rain to check Scizor)
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